I’m Voting No On Measure 106

By Chrissy Erguiza Second Vice-Chair of the Washington County Democrats

This year I’m turning 29.

To some, that’s not a long time and it’s true. I still have perspective to gain. This is why I listen to those that paved the way before me to mentor me on issues such as social justice–a battle which will be a constant; just as change is. Many like me are at that age where we’ve been anticipating the baton will be passed down to us to carry.

With #MeToo, Kavanaugh, and now with Measure 106 in Oregon, we young womxn have clutched the baton, eager to sprint towards defeating the attacks on reproductive healthcare.

I reflect back to the time when I joined my local chapter of Planned Parenthood’s Leadership and Advocacy Team, where I crossed paths with two elder womxn--who have become dear friends and colleagues–who shared, and this is putting it mildly, their frustration of having to fight the same battles when they were my age.

It was a sobering moment for me when thinking about our history, where we have been and where we need to go. It didn’t take long on my reproductive justice advocacy journey before I got yelled at by a white male at a local farmers market in Washington County two years ago. To be humiliated in public was traumatizing. I cried. Even in 2018, womxn undergo abuse for fighting for reproductive freedom. We should all be indebted to those that have fought before us–for birth control, womxn’s rights, civil rights, and human rights. At the intersection of all the social justice movements, for me, is reproductive justice because it’s something that impacts all our lives. We must and will continue being vigilant in protecting reproductive healthcare.

Perhaps what’s most baffling is the Measure 106 proponents stating that they aren’t targeting “any community” with their ballot measure proposal–which is ludicrous! This measure would deny the full range of reproductive health care coverage for womxn on the Oregon Health Plan–yes, including abortion…which is health care. Right now, 271,833 womxn of reproductive age receive health care through the Oregon Health Plan–that’s 271,833 people’s health plans that could be impacted for the worse. Measure 106 is clearly designed–whether intentionally or not–to target low-income womxn and families, as well as survivors of rape and life endangering physical conditions, who all need access to the full range of reproductive healthcare–particularly if you are a womxn of color or a new family who does not enjoy the same economic prosperity as a white middle-class counterpart.

Let me be clear: the attacks on access to reproductive healthcare for womxn and people of color are classist and racist.

With the Internet at our fingertips, it’s not hard to come across painful moments in history which cause womxn, people of color (POC), and LGBTQIA communities to hold on to the generational suffering of having their bodies controlled by institutional powers. Google it.

Time and time again, Oregonians have favored expanding healthcare across the board. Last year, the Oregon legislature passed the Reproductive Health Equity Act. Earlier this year, Oregonians defeated Measure 101 to keep our most vulnerable Oregonians covered.

And this November, Oregonians will defeat Measure 106 to keep Oregon the reproductive justice bastion of the entire country.